The Columbus Blue Jackets (16-33-4) welcome the New Jersey Devils (34-13-5) at Nationwide Arena on Tuesday. New Jersey is coming off a 3-2 shootout loss against the Wild on Saturday, ending a three-game winning streak.
The Devils committed five penalties in the game, conceding one power play goal. Tomas Tatar was the only player to find the net, scoring twice for the Devils.
Vitek Vanecek had 22 saves in the loss.Columbus beat the Maple Leafs 4-3 on Saturday. Four players found the net for the Blue Jackets. Elvis Merzlikins only stopped 26 of 29 shots (.896%).
HEAD TO HEAD
The Devils won the first meeting between the teams this season, a 7-1 victory in October. Jesper Bratt (1G 1A), Nico Hischier (1G 1A), and Jack Hughes (0G 2A) each had two points to lead New Jersey. Yegor Chinakhov scored Columbus’ only goal. Vanecek got the win, saving 20 of 21 shots (.952%).
FACING OFF
New Jersey is averaging 3.46 goals per game for the season, seventh in the NHL, and they are taking on a Blue Jackets team that is allowing 3.83 goals a game (30th).
Meanwhile, Columbus has found the net 2.53 times a game on average, 30th in the league, and won’t find goals any easier to come by against the Devils’ stout defense, which is holding opponents to 2.63 goals per game (5th).
New Jersey averages more shots (34.1) than most teams in the league, ranking fourth. Columbus has been one of the league’s least successful shot-stopping teams, ranking No. 28 with a team save percentage of .895%.
The Blue Jackets’ 15.83% power play percentage is the second-worst in the league, while the Devils rank 18th with a conversion rate of 20.65%. When it comes to defending power plays, New Jersey has the league’s ninth-ranked PK% at 81.13%, while Columbus is 21st at 76.36%.
TOP PERFORMERS:
With 67 points this season, ninth-most in the NHL, Hughes is the top skater for the Devils. He is among the league leaders with 35 goals (3rd) and has added 32 assists. In the net, Vanecek (22-5-2) is New Jersey’s top goaltender.
He has a 2.34 GAA and a .916% save percentage. Johnny Gaudreau leads the Blue Jackets in scoring with 50 points. He has 14 goals and 36 assists in 53 games. Joonas Korpisalo (8-10-3) has the best goals against average for Columbus at 3.33. He has a save percentage of .907%.
HOME AND AWAY
New Jersey is 19-3-3 away from Prudential Center this season. Columbus is 11-16-2 at Nationwide Arena this season.
SportsTips’ NHL Pick:
Columbus Blue Jackets (+165)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
